Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) officials last week announced that it has authorized Sargento Foods Inc. to receive up to $735,000 in state tax credits to support the company's expansion of two facilities in Kiel and Elkhart Lake.The company is investing $30 million to expand its production facility in Kiel and its technical center in Elkhart Lake. As result of the project, about 140 jobs are expected to be created at those two facilities as well as at the company's corporate headquarters in Plymouth.

"WEDC is pleased to be able to assist an iconic family-owned company like Sargento Foods with this expansion project, and we salute the company for its continued commitment to growing in Wisconsin," said Reed Hall, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state's lead economic development organization. "Wisconsin is the number-one cheese-producing state in the country with an annual production of nearly 2.8 billion pounds, and this expansion will further solidify our strength in this key industry."(Please see the July 9 issue of the Tri-County News for more on this story.)